Birla cooler, hay hay….. Review on Birla Mini Air Cooler

Whoever thought I would be a one-review wonder, was deadly wrong. Being a consumer in India, how possibly could I write just one?

You’ve no idea, what I did last summer, do you? I wish better sense had prevailed and I would have been spared the nightmare this summer. For some respite from the soaring heat, I decided to buy a cooler last year. For two months of summer in Pune, a mini cooler was a wise choice, but my wisdom was limited to that I guess. So I find the market flooded with the Symphony(s), Kenstars and the Bajajs. And in this shop(Himani Enterprises, Aundh), I see something other than usual. A Birla Air Cooler. Yes, you heard me right. Anybody having a remote connection with sanity would think, Birla air cooler? What the ? Yes, my friend, I know. But I think I’m made of all that it takes to be a pioneer. Read on.

This cooler, for a change, is lot more compact in looks than it’s contemporaries. Unlike others, it has removable water tank, consumes less power and makes lot less noise. Above all it has a Remote Control to operate the water flow, oscillating louvers, fan speed and the timer(to stop the cooler). Lazy me was all excited at the very prospect of less work. A mini cooler with all this had my mouth watering and I thought, was definitely worth it for Rs. 4500/-. Now, the issue is that they’re launching it for the first time in the market. It’s manufactured by some company in China and is marketed by Birla International Pvt. Ltd. in India. So what, if it’s new in the market, so what, if I’m the first person to buy this, somebody’s got to be the first. How long would I live my life following others? If I don’t take the risk, then who’ll? In the whole process, the only thing missing was the bravery award. Well I can manage without it. So, I decided to go for it. Yes, it comes with a one-year warranty. One-year warranty? Who would use it for the entire year at the first place to avail the warranty? Nevertheless, I’m given no warranty papers. Sir, it’s made by some anonymous company and Birla is just marketing it, so who do you think would give you the warranty, the shop owner says. Just keep the receipt handy. That would do. Hum hain na. Oh! So much love. My eyes moistened. I was always devoid of love.

It was a smooth ride for the first week. On the second, all hell broke loose. It started leaking water and I would have puddles all around my room, when I wake up in the morning. Oops! Nobody mentioned about the added attractions. Anyways, I called the technician(I call him the “Birla Guy”), but he is busy for the next couple of days, because he is the only guy taking care of the entire Maharashtra circle. Doesn’t sound logical? Well, none of my business. So, finally he shows up, does whatever in his capacity with the machine and whispers something in its ears(perhaps, sudhar ja, nahi to bahut pitega). But little Johny couldn’t care less. Next morning I would get up and land again in the puddle. Dhat teriki. I would call him again and eagerly wait for him the next day. He would come by, whisper and leave. And my love affair with him continues. Perhaps, the only thing missing were, sandwiches and orange juice. Anyways, after couple of weeks and all sorts of permutation and combination he would give up. Luckily, the dealer agrees for a replacement. When I ask for the date to be renewed on the receipt(for the sake of warranty), the guy laughs a hearty one and says, Hum hain na. Stupid me, how could I miss that line? After all he is the local messiah. My eyes moistened again. By God’s grace, the rest of the summer(i.e one month) went trouble free.

I pack it up and it rests for the next ten months. It’s year 2007 now and summer is back again. Cooler unwrapped and back in business. One month of cool air and ggewn…ggewn…ggewn…ggggggg…. *The motor has breathed it’s last. They say I missed the warranty period by just “five days” and the repairable(s) would be chargeable. I wish I knew the motor’s plans in advance. Anyways, I ask for any consideration. But the Birla guy is adamant. No concessions. A warranty is a warranty. Man, what kind of society we live in? There is absolutely no shame in the fact that a major part of one’s product is out of whack in just two months of “working” time. The dealer too takes is hands off any responsibility and not even ready to acknowledge that technically I’m still eligible for the warranty, as the cooler was completely replaced after three weeks. *Ab koi nahi hai *to bail me out of the situation. I’m on my own now.* I should have got the date of purchase renewed on the receipt at the first place. My eyes moisten again, now only for obvious reasons.

I have never used a cooler before. So I can’t comment, if it conforms to the cooling standards of air coolers. It certainly doesn’t cool the room(10 x 12). I would rather describe it as table fan, only giving cooler air. Of course for that the air temperature has to be reasonable. Digging a bit deeper, I discovered that water, after flowing through the honeycomb(paper honeycomb is being used for optimum cooling), is being temporarily stored in a small open container and then redirected to the water tank. A major design flaw is causing the water clog in that small container and eventually overflow, that makes the system go haywire and water spilling all over.

In short, the remote control is the biggest advantage it has over other mini coolers in the market. But too many defects surface in too less a time. Maintenance can be really bothersome and you never know what the future has in store for you. As it’s not a well-known brand, neither the company nor the dealer assumes any accountability. Now in retrospection, I think, I should have gone for the branded product. In case, you’re going for non-branded products, you should be sure of the dealer’s reputation and should have everything on paper. In my day-to-day interaction with vendors, eight out of ten commitments(verbal) are kept. But the rest of the two can cost you dearly.

So the moral of the story is, everything comes at a price. Yes, being a pioneer too. But I’ve got good news. In my world it comes free. Yippee! Congratulations to whoever got there in the comment section first and the rest, don’t need to sulk. You’ve been in the herd all your life. Why be an exception now? Alright, I don’t like to see you hovering around here. Now hurry up. We’re serving ice creams in the comment section.